Mapo-gu's fifth kids cafe opens on the first floor of Bosagol Small Library, with a toy rental shop below
Admission 2,000 won for children, 1,000 won for guardians; open Tuesday through Sunday for ages 12 months to 6
Mapo-gu will hold an opening ceremony Monday for its Seoul-style kids cafe in Dohwa-dong, launching operations at the first floor of Bosagol Small Library at 53 Dohwa 4-gil.
Seoul-style kids cafes are publicly run indoor play facilities designed to let children play safely regardless of season or weather. The facilities aim to protect children's right to play while easing the childcare and financial burden on families through low admission fees.
The Dohwa-dong location is designed as a tailored play space to nurture children's imagination and physical development. It features three zones: "Imagination Planet," a digital experience area where children draw expressions on lanterns and send them floating; "Heart Square," a sensory space built around expression puzzles and tactile play; and "Joy Planet," a large-muscle activity area equipped with a jungle gym, slides and a ball pit.
A nursing room and storage space have also been provided to improve convenience for guardians.
The facility is open to infants and toddlers aged 12 months to 6 years, accompanied by a guardian.
Each session accommodates up to 11 children, with a maximum of 16 visitors at a time. Dedicated childcare workers and safety staff are on-site throughout operating hours.
The cafe operates Tuesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Weekday sessions run three times per day and weekend sessions four. The facility is closed on Mondays, public holidays and Labor Day, but will remain open on Children's Day.
Admission is 2,000 won per child and 1,000 won per guardian. Guardians who need emergency childcare coverage may add 2,000 won to use the supervised play service.
Reservations can be made through the "Seoul-style Kids Cafe Reservation" menu on the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Woori Dongne Kium Portal.
The basement level of Bosagol Small Library, where the Dohwa-dong cafe is located, is also home to the Dohwa Toy Rental Shop, which reopened in July after a renovation.
The rental shop holds about 1,500 toys and roughly 1,900 books, available to borrow with an annual membership fee of 10,000 won ($7).
With the kids cafe and toy rental shop now operating side by side, children can enjoy play and hands-on experiences while guardians borrow toys and books suited to their child's developmental stage — an arrangement expected to significantly improve convenience for families with young children.
Mapo-gu District Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said a nearby space where children can play freely is "an important lifestyle infrastructure for healthy growth and development," adding that the district would work to make the Dohwa-dong kids cafe and toy rental shop "a reliable childcare support space that children and parents visit together."
Including the Dohwa-dong location, Mapo-gu now operates five Seoul-style kids cafes: Sangam, Seogang-dong No. 1, Ssangnyongsan Neighborhood Park and Seogyo-dong No. 1. The district plans to add a Seogyo-dong No. 2 location to further expand accessible childcare infrastructure within residential areas.
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